


How to Fix a Time Machine

by SereKabii



Category: Hololive, HololiveEN, Virtual Streamer Animated Characters, holoMyth
Genre: Established Relationship, Flirting, Future, Gen, Identity, Memories, Past, Phone Calls & Telephones, Reflection, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29915661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SereKabii/pseuds/SereKabii
Summary: After breaking and losing a piece of her time machine while traveling, she has immense trouble making it back to the present.It would now be near-impossible to time travel ever again, unless she solves the dilemma that she now faces. In this shorter story that takes place after Twice Over, will she try to find a replacement part to this very outdated and likely personalized machine or, does she make a new one, destroying both her legacy and branding?
Relationships: Gawr Gura/Watson Amelia (hololive)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	How to Fix a Time Machine

**Author's Note:**

> [Text displayed like this represents Amelia's thoughts, particularly in conversations.]

UGH. This last travel was an absolute bust. Why do I even bother sometimes. I somehow managed to learn absolutely nothing, and then I smack my face in a wall and break the clock's external rotor input, forcing me to keep trying to bruteforce the mechanism to get back to the present asap... this is a load of shit, why am I still working with that ancient piece of junk...

  
Breathe, breathe... It's the family heirloom, I just need to fix it. It is what saved me so many times, and it saved the lives of those I care about, of course I owe so much to this machine at this point. It's the first time I damaged the clock, isn't it? Surprised it took this long honestly.

  
I look at the clock, with its input knob missing. It's next to unusable in this state, I still don't know how I pulled it off. I guess I was just that much of a cosmic brain or something. If I just got something that could fit in there as a replacement, it should work perfectly, I think. But I probably need a specialist to get a good fit, and I don't exactly feel like that'd be particularly wise of me. The Watson Agency and its powers were always pretty much hidden from most of society, only being accessed through referrals and word-of-mouth as a last resort for people who also have the money to afford this kind of intricate and risky process. Even now that almost everyone knows my name, I still try to make my procedures sound vague and contradictory...

  
So a random clock-fixing shopkeep might not exactly be ready to find out that the instant they start fiddling with it they just go backwards... or forwards in time. UUUUGH. At least I have some tools with me this time, I guess. Uncle did teach me how to do some basic repairs, I just don't know if I'll be able to find a piece that fits in this custom-made--

  
I lose track of my own thought. I want to repair the clock, not to use this as an opportunity to step in the legacy of the family... right? I can definitely get the missing piece without any issue, right?

  
I remember what Uncle told me. Only one piece of the machine truly matters for time travel, the Time Gear. A gear-shaped artifact that very, very slowly spins no matter what, at the speed of one revolution every 10,000 years. It was quickly found out that trying to interrupt or change that spin would cause it and everything around it to travel through time. And the one who would become the first of the Watson Time Traveling Detectives line would create this clock, as a disguised input method for forcing alterations to the movement of the object.

  
So that means that if I repurposed the Time Gear, putting it in a different clock with pieces more modernized to current standards that would be easier to find nowadays, it would work just fine... But that's not what I want to do, is it? That clock has existed for many times my own existence, I don't want to destroy its legacy just because it might be inconvenient to fix it, that doesn't... sit right with me...

  
What do I do, what do I do...

  
I give up. I'm not alone this time. I can always talk to my friends about this, I know they can keep a secret well enough so it should be fine. A voice call should be good enough.

* * *

  
\- KIKERIKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-

\- HOLY SHI-

\- Hahaha, did I scare you? did I? did I?

\- My volume was maxed... I should've known-

\- YES YOU SHOULD!

\- F-fiiiine, you get this one. [At this point, I knew I was in for something. I put my free hand on my face and just kept on going.]

\- So you called for a reason, right? What is it? Do you want some special-

\- Uh... *hic* I have a teeny tiny question for you. [Don't even start, Kiara.]

\- Oh, go ahead!

\- Uh, my time machine is busted, and uh... it's probably gonna be a massive hassle to find the right piece to fix it. Do I just salvage the parts that matter on the inside and make something new from scratch, or do I keep trying to fix it as is?

  
...the silence was absolutely deafening. It was so prolonged I could swear I heard the AOL dial-up sound waiting for the response. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. Finally, I hear a light gasp, followed by a concerned response, in a far lighter voice.

  
\- W-why did you ask me that? I don't really know how I can help, and...

\- It's really a question of remembering the past, and that's something I know you struggle with a lot. So many times, even once by our very side, you lost all your memories, your past, and there's always the genuine possibility that you won't come back, that entire lifespans will go by without you realizing that was just one of many. I imagined you'd be someone who has come to terms with the idea of either letting go or embracing your history...

\- I think that's not really the same thing...

\- Hm. I guess, I guess I can see it, yeah. [Damn, she's responding in such a quiet voice. Did I mess up?]

\- But I guess I embraced it... Because every time I feel like my flames are about to go out, I hope that I'll keep my memories of the fun I've had, and the people I've met, all alive with me, even if I don't realize right away...

\- Damn, Kiara, that's a side of you I don't see much.

\- That's because you... HEY! WHAT DO YOU MEAN ABOUT THAT?

\- ghehehehehe.

\- HEY DON'T GREMLIN LAUGH ME NOW! YOU BITCH-

\- ok baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai~

  
*call over.*

  
Yeah, she's right. It really isn't the same thing after all, the memories of an heirloom are different than the memories of a human after all. I do feel kind of sorry for that conversation, it really seemed like she had been holding that whole topic inside her and I peered a bit into her real thoughts. That response really came from the heart, but I don't know if that was enough for me to decide, should I just call all of them? ...Eh, what the hell. Just hope they're awake.

  
First I should try... uh... Yeah, ok. Let's try Calli first.

* * *

  
\- Hey hey hey, It's ya b-

\- *ahem*

\- Oh hi, Amelia. Sorry, I'm a bit sleep-deprived... again. So I thought I was starting a stream. again.

\- Standard stuff, I got it, I got it. Can I ask for a bit of help on something or do you... really need the sleep?

\- OH. Don't worry about that, I'm still working.

\- That... doesn't make it any better. [And I thought I didn't get enough sleep...]

\- Is it something I can do over the phone or do I need to come over?

\- HOW DO YOU EVEN PLAN TO-

\- Don't you worry, it'd just be a few more hours of lack of sleep to add to the pile, it's perfectly fine. What is it? Are you being attacked and need someone to be brought to the afterlife a bit early or something?

\- ...You scare me sometimes. I just want you to answer a question to me.

\- Oh, okay.

\- Time machine's busted and I lost the original part, do I... *hic* Do I repurpose it or do I keep looking for a very specific replacement part that might be next to impossible to find?

\- ...If you repurposed it, you could still time travel, right?

\- Yeah... yeah, probably. [I think she's a bit lost, I don't know if this was a good idea...]

\- And if you don't find the part, you won't be able to do that, right?

\- Well I guess I kiiiinda can, but it's really hard and will definitely do some damage if I keep trying to do it.

\- So it's like as if you couldn't. Got it.

\- ...so? [Come on, work with me here...]

\- I mean, of course I'd repurpose the parts and make something new. If it still works that's what matters, right?

\- Yeah, but it's been passed down for well over a century, can I really-

\- What do you think defines you, that clock or what you do with it?

\- Uh... Good question! Good question... [...Damn, she hit me with a hard one right out the bat, I don't know how to answer that. I don't think that I've ever really given much of a thought for what defines me... I don't know if I really have a talent like the rest of the EN girls... Is this what I should be asking to myself?]

\- Personally I just enjoy stuff that looks hella sick, so I'd probably make a cool looking obsidian-like clock thing with like a skull and scythe motif, and stuff. Something that I feel represents *me*, you know? not the dumb old people that came before.

\- [Harsh... I guess that's just her way of speaking, but still...] Uh, but I, uh, I always thought it fit with my aesthetic, so I don't think I'd... really want to change how it looks.

\- But you can still make a design that's less painful to work with though, right?

\- Alright, alright, you've made your point. Thank you so much for the help and... stuff.

\- Aw, no need to be thankful! I do still have a lot of sh-tuff to deal with though, so gonna have to go now.

\- Wait, you don't... *pfft* need to watch your language or anything, we're off-stream, remember?

\- AW DAMMIT. I forgot again! I'm sorry, my brain's kinda... *yawn* lagging right now...

\- [I'll just... pretend I didn't hear that.] Alright, bye!

\- Bye, Amelia! PEACE!

  
*call over.*

  
Well, as the sound of her goodbyes bounced inside my head and I once again regret not turning my volume down, I can definitely say her answer was a really good one. She really thinks about style and identity a lot, I guess it's par for the course for a musician to think of branding herself first and foremost. I'll keep it buried in my mind while I go to the next one.

* * *

  
\- Hullo~

\- Hey Ina!

\- Hiiii! Did you want my help on something?

\- Actually... yeah, I did. [She's definitely always been the most helpful out of everyone, I don't know what to expect but I definitely know she'll try...]

\- So... do you wanna... Talkson about it?

\- ...............

  
She most definitely tried, I'll give her that. I preferred the old joke though...

  
\- So, my time machine's shot, and it's missing a part. I don't think I'll find a replacement because it's very old, so I could salvage its parts and make a new one, but I'm afraid I'll be stepping in my family's legacy if I do so... Can you help me make my choice?

\- And you came to me out of everyone to talk about it? Tako about an exclus-ink group, right?

\- ... [She sounds proud of that one.]

\- I was your first call, right?

  
No.

  
\- Yes.

\- Oooooooh... it's an honor to serve you then, my Squeen.

\- ... [She knows I'm out of my element under flirts and yet she keeps on trying to land pickup lines back to back... I'm actually going to lose it]

\- ...what was the question again?

\- Ina... [She... seems like she's being intentionally unhelpful, what happened?]

\- Oh right. I mean, I already feel like you know the answer anyways. You're just afraid to admit it, aren't you?

\- Huh?

\- The only reason why you're having this doubt in the first place is because you have a wish to not be constrained by the past, right? That means that you already know what you really want, you're just in denial that it's the option you want.

\- Wait, so you think I already decided to repurpose it in the first place?

\- And you're only talking to me so you can justify it in your head by having someone confirm you're right, humu humu...

\- ...But you could have told me I was wrong, though?

\- I guess... But at that point you'd probably call someone else to do so instead, yeah.

\- ... [Damn, she's GOOD. She was definitely just playing dumb earlier.]

\- Well, my actual answer is... just do what will be the easiest for you. Maybe I could ask for the Ancient Ones to assist on obtaining the piece of the clock you were missing though-

\- _W̡͘͡e͘͠ ̡̛̛͞d͏̵o̵͘͟͡ ͟͡͠ą̵̕p̸̸o̵̸l̸̨̢̛͝o͏̛͢͝g͟͝͡i̢z̴͢͞e,͟͝ ̸̕͡͞p̡r̛i̶̴̢͢͜e͟҉̵̧͡s̛͜͠҉ţ̷͘͞ę̢̧͏s̢͠s̷̢̧͏͟,̨̨ ̢͟͢͟b͟͡͏̸u̡͏̵̷̷t̷͟҉̕ ͘͠w̨i҉͜t͞͞h̡͠ ̸̨͢͝u̢̕s̸̴̴̛͜ ̶̢͘l͢i̡̕͟e̡͘͜s̨̧ ̕͟͢͢͟n̨͠͠͠ǫ̶̕҉̶t̨͟͝ ̶̨͠t̢͏̴h̴̵̷e̷͝ ͘͘͜͢͠s̨͟l͏͢i̵̵͘g̴͜͜͢͟h̸t̸͟e̡͜͝҉͠ş̴̶̴̧t҉ ̷i͝n̡͞t͢͡e҉͟ņ̛҉t̡̛͢͞ ̶̶̢o̡̡̕͟n̵̛̕͘͝ ̕͝f͏̡͢͞i̸̵̡͘͢x̴̛͘i̢̕͢n͏͝g͝͡ ̧͘͜t̵̢̨ḩ̸̧͟i̷̕s͏͠ ͟͞p̡̕͝i͏҉e҉̴͜c̷̨̡e̛͘ ̛͘͡ǫ͝f̶̢͝ ̡͞m̶̴̛a̴̡̢̡͟ç̵̶͞h͟҉i͏̛n̛͞͝͝e̷͏̛̛r̢y̧̡͞.̸̨̕͠͠_

  
...Wow. That completely destroyed the flow of the conversation. I don't even think that they've ever sounded that threatening before, did I say something wrong?

  
\- Allllright then, Ame, I think you got the idea at this point.

\- Thank you so much for the help, Ina! Byeeeeeee~

\- Bye!~

\- ... *hic*

\- Hahaha! Was that a goodbye hiccup?

\- Man, I keep getting those in the weirdest moments... Anyways, bye!

  
*call over.*

  
Well, I guess at this point there really is no reason to keep calling... I get it, unless I somehow picked the piece back up from the past I'm probably not getting a new one at present day, it was really pointless to even think of this as a possible solution... But, besides stepping in so much of our history, I feel like I'd be stepping on... The memories I made with it myself these past few years. I saved lives using this...

  
I take a look at the broken clock again. The clock itself is awaiting my move. It's going to be painless, I just-

  
My phone started ringing, to the tune of the default ringtone. I never get actual straight to number phone calls at this point unless they're spam, which is why I didn't bother to change the ringtone from default to something I actually care about, so I take it, am about to turn the call down, only to realize it's Gura's number. Wait... what?

* * *

  
\- Hiiiiii Ameeeeeeeee!!!~~

\- Heeey!!! Why did you call my number?

\- Oh, Kiara told me you two had a chat and I really felt like I had to talk to you about this, but you went dnd on all your platforms so I called you directly!

\- Gura... [If it were any other situation I'd probably feel annoyed, but I actually really needed that.]

\- Sooooooooooooo... what was it about?

\- Wait, she didn't tell you?

\- She did, I just didn't understand a thing! Hahahaha, maybe she didn't get it that well either so she made it sound more confusing than it actually was...

\- So that means... you came here without even knowing what this was about?

\- Uh... yeah.

\- Guraaaaa... [She's simultaneously so dumb and yet so adorable, I can't]

\- Something about your time machine?

\- Yeah. I was going to repurpose its pieces to try and make a new one, because I don't think I'll be able to get the current one to work on its current state.

\- Uh... wait, if it's broken, then...

\- Just the input is, the inner mechanisms work fine.

\- ...Hold on a minute, let me process that for a bit.

\- [I think I can simplify that a bit more...] It's fine on the inside, just messed up on the outside.

\- Oh so like if my phone's screen cracked?

\- Yeah, yeah, that's a decent analogy.

\- What's... an... anal-ogy?

  
Oh my god, what the actual fuck, Gura. I don't even know where that came from, I just knew I was laughing my ass off. OH MY GOD WHY DID I THINK OF IT LIKE THAT MY BRAIN IS SHUTTING DOWN-

  
\- Oh... I need to breathe...

\- Yeah. Ok. I understand. I get it.

\- Aaaaaaaaaaanyways, yeah, it's like that. Except there's a lot of story attached to it, so I feel really bad about fixing it.

\- Ame, why are you holding yourself back?

\- Huh?

\- You're the coolest person I know, and you wouldn't be hung up over something that simple...

\- H-h-h-huh?

\- If you just wanted me to praise you for five minutes straight you didn't need to give me all of this backstory, I'd do it straight up...

\- *unintelligible noises*

\- Ame, I-

\- Gura, I'm sorry. I know you came here to cheer me up and... you probably thought it was something worse than this if you didn't really understand what Kiara meant... And I did think she was a bit hurt at the end so-

\- It's fine, really. I should have expected that.

\- Yeah I- [Wait, did I just hear her slam her hand on the wall?]

\- Listen to me. Getting out of home is only getting harder right now, but hang in there. If you want, I can set up somewhere we can live together.

\- Huh??? [Her voice is getting deeper... She's pretending to use the kabedon on me... what the hell is happening?]

\- I should have expected that just one night really wouldn't be enough. It wasn't enough for me either.

\- Gura, what the hell? Is that actually you? [That... that's really...]

\- Yes, and I told you I care about you, didn't I?

\- ...I'm definitely not used to this... *hic* side of you, h...hahh. [Hot... it's really hot in here, all of a sudden...] I... I'd love it-

\- What about giving the clock cool symbols that represent us? Or all of the EN girls?

\- O-oh. [Talk about whiplash. Her voice's gone back to normal.] Sure, that'd be a neat way to represent it.

\- What did you think about my aggressively wholesome performance? I... I... needed to practice a lot to get it to work, Ina has been teaching me how to do this kind of stuff recently... so...

\- It was... [Oh god, I'm still dizzy... Of course Ina would do this...] Really good!

\- Thanks! See ya later then!

\- Bye!~ I love you~

\- Heheheh... Hahahaha... You're making me blush again!~ Suki~~

  
*call over.*

  
She... didn't even have to say that much on the issue to get her point across. She just dug so deep within my own personal fears and insecurities, as if she was trying to dig at the reason why I was even asking, or rather, the reason why I was feeling in such a way that would prompt asking that question in the first place... She knows she's part of the reason I was afraid of dismantling the clock, doesn't she? She didn't even mention it... It seems like every call I made somehow dug deeper, and gave me better and better reasons to never have even thought of this in the first place.

  
Now I just need to think of what it'll look like. Will it just be a replica but with easier to obtain parts? That would be possible but pocket watches in general have been discontinued for decades, so even possible replacements would probably be too hard to find... I'd probably have to make something more like a table clock, or something that does actually exist.

  
Or maybe...

  
I finally pry open the clock, and look at its internal machinery. It all looks like a regular antique clock, except for a single small gear, which shines a bright gold and has a distinct marking on each of its individual dents. So that is what the Time Gear looks like... We just need to create a machine that has an easy input method that controls how many rotations, or usually, what fraction of a rotation I want, and translates it into forcing that movement.

  
A clock was an easy input method because it had a minutes hand, which further divided its movements. But I guess an even better approach would be making a digital input method, but it doesn't really feel like a digital clock would really fit my getup very well, I'd probably just feel uncomfortable using it. Maybe a controllable seconds hand could work instead?

  
Man, even a single SECOND would be equivalent to 84 days in a Time Gear clock, this really makes me appreciate how thorough Uncle's precision lessons were. Although it does also make it weird that I sometimes managed to get to exactly the point in time I wanted back then... I wonder.

  
I guess I should get to work. First, I should definitely handle the Time Gear with the utmost care, and not have it spin at all...

  
...

  
...

  
There we go, placed in a case. Now I can get to work on designing the new one, Uncle's lessons are about to pay off once again!

  
Wait, another call? It's from Gura again?

  
WAIT, WHAT DO YOU MEAN, IT'S BEEN A WEEK?

**Author's Note:**

> Fun clock facts: The earliest pocket watches I found that look similar to Amelia's in design were made around the 1850-1870s, and they seem to have been around for around 70 years afterwards. It was quite common for them to have second hands, although unlike most mechanical clocks and watches of recent times, they spun around a separate circle as the main hands. That was also when they started to have interchangeable parts, interestingly enough.
> 
> Ame's clock was actually an outlier not just by not having such a mechanism to begin with. Although due to it being powered up by the Time Gear's intrinsic movements, it's far from a standard clock anyways. Its actual functioning and real methods of input are far more closely related to electric watches with direct external inputs to change the time than actual 19th century wristwatches due to the fact that it doesn't need to be wound up or requires any sort of automatic windup mechanism.
> 
> It's not farfetched to assume that such input methods could be created back then if the challenge of automatic windup was rendered trivial.
> 
> I really did fucking learn about clock history while writing this.


End file.
